We're new full timers, sorta

mionerr · October 21, 2015

Last week the DW and I picked up our first RV.We've been aiming for this day for about a year now.I'll retire in January and then we head south from Colorado. We are parked in front of our s&b loading up. We put on a major push last weekend to get the rest of the house empty. It all got moved into the garage. Now it's going into the basement of the MH. Crew came in Monday to start painting and new carpet is next week. DW has been muttering "I should have started downsizing a year earlier". I have thus far refrained from saying "I told you so". We are almost boondocking with just a 15A electric. A learning experience. Friday we'll move to an RV park down the Interstate. Until January.

We got a 2016 Newmar Ventana LE. We really like it so far and hopefully for many years to come.

The main reasons for fulltiming is a sister is Oregon, sister in Idaho, brother in Colorado, aunt in New Mexico, daughter in Texas, daughter in Idaho, daughter in Nebraska, son in Connecticutt, cousins all over the place. Then, there are places in this country we haven't seen yet. It's going to be a busy but leisurely retirement.

Ola and Roger

Pueblo, CO

R. Walter · October 21, 2015

We'll have to hook up some time. I'm in NM, but will start full-timing with my wife in the spring. Next summer we are in Massachusetts on a volunteer assignment.

2gypsies · October 21, 2015

Ahh..remember your feelings well. It's exciting but yet scary to get everything done and out of there. Hope you enjoy the new lifestyle as we did for 16 years. Also hope you had as good luck with your Newmar as we did!

coachmac9 · October 21, 2015

Welcome to the forums!! We are kinda doing the same thing but just a little bit farther down the road...we found our "new to us" RV a little sooner than we expected so we are living in it now till we retire and go full time. I would encourage you to read all the forums when you get the chance to do so. Much can be learned from the great posters here that have been full timing for many years!!

mionerr · October 22, 2015

Welcome to the forums!! We are kinda doing the same thing but just a little bit farther down the road...we found our "new to us" RV a little sooner than we expected so we are living in it now till we retire and go full time. I would encourage you to read all the forums when you get the chance to do so. Much can be learned from the great posters here that have been full timing for many years!!

I've been reading here for 6 months or so as well as a couple of others and I follow quite a few blogs. The DW follows other forums and blogs.

Got through our first dumb newbie issue yesterday. Couldn't get the generator to start all week. DH finally called our dealer support person. Seems when we pressed the start button we didn't hold it down long enough. I thought we'd drain the battery by holding down too long. Wrong! Live and learn.

coachmac9 · October 22, 2015

At least your "dumb newbie" issue didn't involve very stinky fluids!!!!! On the fifth or sixth time I dumped the waste I got in a hurry and pulled the handle on the black tank with the cap on the end...not the hose hook-up... which was laying right beside my foot...as soon as I began pulling the handle I realized what I had done...to late...I stared at it for a few minutes and then of course looked around to see if anybody else had seen the idiotic move that I had just made and trying to come up with a solution to my conundrum...nope, no way to take the cap off and put the hose on without dumping a small amount of the stinky mess on my hands and floor of the bay...lesson learned...never, ever get in a hurry when dumping stinky stuff!!!!

reed and elaine · October 22, 2015

Ola - We have spent the summer "mootchdocking" with our kids. Two have a spot for us to put the 5th wheel in their back and the third has built a pad for us on their 30 acres in the mountains above Las Vegas, NM. You have found,as we did, there is a lot of stuff you have no idea why you had it. We took pickup loads to the dump.

R. Walter

It sure will be cold in Lindreth this winter. We are in Albuquerque for two days and then down to Las Cruces. Sure does know how to rain in New Mexico.

Reed and Elaine

mionerr · October 22, 2015

Ola - We have spent the summer "mootchdocking" with our kids. Two have a spot for us to put the 5th wheel in their back and the third has built a pad for us on their 30 acres in the mountains above Las Vegas, NM. You have found,as we did, there is a lot of stuff you have no idea why you had it. We took pickup loads to the dump.

R. Walter

None of our kids have places we could moochdock; however, Ola has a cousin in a Phoenix suburb who has offered and they have hook-ups!

Oh, we've known how much stuff we have. The company I work for has relocated us several times and we say each time we gotta downsize. Part of the problem is our hobbies. They are space intensive.I've minimized what I'll take along; my DW on the other hand is still struggling.

Barbaraok · October 22, 2015

I've been reading here for 6 months or so as well as a couple of others and I follow quite a few blogs. The DW follows other forums and blogs.

Got through our first dumb newbie issue yesterday. Couldn't get the generator to start all week. DH finally called our dealer support person. Seems when we pressed the start button we didn't hold it down long enough. I thought we'd drain the battery by holding down too long. Wrong! Live and learn.

Same will hold true when using the 'boost' button (if you have one) that will link the house and chassis betters. First time I just "hit" the button as turning the key and didn't hold it down. Like you, I was thinking that I'd drain the batteries. But these things take a few seconds to draw enough power to turn over and you will figure out how long the 'hold' needs to be.

Barb

mionerr · October 23, 2015

Same will hold true when using the 'boost' button (if you have one) that will link the house and chassis betters. First time I just "hit" the button as turning the key and didn't hold it down. Like you, I was thinking that I'd drain the batteries. But these things take a few seconds to draw enough power to turn over and you will figure out how long the 'hold' needs to be.

Barb

Thanks for that tip. We do have the "boost". I'll try to remember that bit of advice.

Still working on the 20# in a 5# coach.

Chaloots · November 2, 2015

My wife and I are also "sorta" new, we full-timed for 5 years but didn't travel as much as we would have liked. We are anticipating being on the road in early spring. We are wondering if anyone has looked into or come across good resources for purchasing a package, Diesel Pusher with toad. We are extremely excited to begin RVing again after a 16 yr. gap.

Thanks for any input!

C&R